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The room was comfy and the bed was huge had such... - Review of The Donovan - A Kimpton Hotel

Lovely hotel situated in Washington DC only a few mins walk away from White House and a good number of restaurants / cafes to go to, plus a breakfast diner- which was convieneate! The location of the hotel makes it an excellent location to access all the main sites around Washington without stress. All we did was walk everywhere.

As for the hotel itself, it's friendly welcoming by the reception and as for the rooms neat and tidy! ( apart from the little build up of dust and dirt behind the bed ). The room was comfy and the bed was huge had such a lovely sleep! As I travelled with family the hotel provided us interconnecting rooms which was brill! I would recommend this hotel-yes!

The service at Kimpton Hotels are enough to make you keep coming back but this hotel was beautiful with modern design and a great location for an interview downtown. I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the area and looking for a great location and great service.

We recently stayed 4 nights at Donovan House and we loved it. We are huge Kimpton fans and have stayed at 20+ of their properties from coast to coast over the past 10 years. We have NEVER been disappointed and Donovan House was no exception. We secured a King Premier because I wanted a separate bathtub and the majority of their rooms have a shower only. Upon check-in we were upgraded to a King Suite. Our two- room suite on the 9th floor was spotless and spacious. There were floor to ceiling windows over looking Thomas Circle. The décor is very modern and minimalist. Our bathroom was huge with a giant shower, a lovely freestanding bathtub and dual sinks on the vanity. The bed was dreamy and there was plenty of seating options in both rooms for leisure or if needed for working.

Location is good as it’s 3 to 4 blocks (10 min walk) to the McPherson Square Metro stop. You can take the blue line directly from Washington National (Regan) Airport. It’s a little far to pull luggage but it’s doable. We took a cab when we departed… There are quite a few nice dinning options within walking distance and there is a 24 hour CVS directly across the street, which is super convenient for snacks and drugstore needs. There is a liquor store near by as well. Everything about our stay from check-in to departure was stellar; great staff and the wine hour from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. is always a nice “Kimpton” touch.

Tip: If you are traveling to DC for work or play you don’t need a car. It’s a difficult city to navigate and parking is sparse and very expensive ($40+ per day). Use the Metro. It’s a wonderful and reasonable transit system and will get you pretty much everywhere you need to be in the city. Additionally, the Cream of Crab soup and the Crab Cakes at Legal Seafood (7th and F) are to die for… ☺

I really wanted to like this hotel. After three days at another DC hotel, I thought I'd try this one to see if it might work later for a romantic trip to DC. Solved that question quickly: answer is definitely a no. There isn't one big thing wrong with this hotel. But a lot of small wrong things that added up to make it a disappointing visit. I came away with a view that the hotel is overpriced and an overall bad taste in my mouth.

The hotel is not in a terrible location - right on Thomas Circle - but it's also not terribly convenient. About a mile away from the nearest metro (Dupont Circle) and on a street that doesn't attract a lot of taxis. Not a big problem, but if you're planning a trip, good to know.

The real problem was the myriad of small things that made this a disappointing trip. It's promoted as kind of an icon of cool hipness but they've seemed to put form over function. The carpet in the room for example, was stained and frayed. Ugg. Not a good first impression. The carpet in the hallways was actually in better shape. The stains though make you wander what's down there and I'd prefer not to have to think about it. They promote their rooms as having a "cocoon shower." That's actually just a small shower with the shower head in the ceiling. Really? Turns out it had to be in the ceiling because the water pressure was so weak, it needed gravity's help just to make it to the drain. The location and lack of pressure then simply makes it hard to wash and rinse. By itself a big deal? Not really. I've had crappy showers all over the world but it was just one more thing. Then the bathroom sink was clogged, water building up as I'm trying to shave. No coffee pot in the room (man, even the Days Inns of the world get this right). They did have coffee in the lobby but it was out when I went to get some at 7:30. When it finally arrived I got a cup and a newspaper but then couldn't find a place to read it. The lights in the lobby were too dim. I literally couldn't read the words without finding on mediocre bulb and moving the paper around under it as I read. The coolness factor they were going for just got in the way of my having an enjoyable coffee and paper experience and you have to ask yourself if this is what they intended. My next-to-last frustration - tho certainly not my biggest - was the furniture. I'm 5-9 and felt like I was too tall for everything in the hotel. Did they buy furniture from a hobbit? Every seat in the lobby, the one chair in my room and even the bed were so low to the floor that it was uncomfortable. A problem for anyone under 30? Probably not. But over 50? It might be a problem. The bed I thought was especially low.

As I said, individually none of these things were a big deal. I've certainly had worse experiences. The real kicker though was when I went to check out. At the end of the day, whether you had a good experience or not, you'd like to think that the hard-earned money you chose to spend was appreciated. After all, I could have spent my cash anywhere in the city. Alas, the coolness factor of the hotel must restrain the staff from saying anything like "thanks for staying here" or "how was your stay?" or "did you have a great time?" or even a "have a great day." I got a glare and sigh when I asked for my bill to be printed; it was handed to me without comment. Ahh - just the right touch to push a three-star rating to a two-star. Keep in mind I hadn't given them any feedback yet - not even about the clogged sink - and wasn't given an opportunity to. So the next guest will have the same clogged sink I had. Nice. I'm fully aware that any of these - individually - seem nitpicky. But we don't experience hotels or restaurants in a microcosm of individual experiences. We experience them holistically and the overall impression I got was not positive. I call them as I see them. Have given $60 hotels five-star ratings because they try and they deliver value. And I've given mom-and-pop restaurants nice marks for showing some real customer service and creativity. This hotel needs to remember who pays the bills and ask themselves what that customer needs. Here's a hint: It's not an oversold "cocoon shower" w/no water pressure, stained and frayed carpet, uncomfortable furniture and an indifferent staff.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Abe L, Manager at The Donovan - A Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review,
March 25, 2013

Hi michigantraveler05,

Thank you so much for your review and feedback.

Wow, I am shocked at your experience in our Hotel. As mentioned in many other reviews, our staff is excellent thus my surprised response. Nevertheless, I am very appreciative of this feedback and hope to learn more about your stay. The part that resonates most with me was your check out experience. Is it possible you could contact me at Abe.liao@donovanhousehotel.com? Like I said, would love to know more so I can take corrective action for future guests.

Hope to hear from you soon,Abe

Abe LiaoAssistant General Manager

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Thank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

My girlfriend (with the help of my cousin) surprised me with a weekend in DC for my 30th. Before we departed, I did much research and where to go and where we are staying. I read a lot of previous reviews on the Donovan House and was excited to see what DC and the hotel was all about. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. From the door staff to the room itself, it was great all around. This place has a very modern, fresh vibe. Very inviting. The lobby always has some refreshments on tap , be it cucumber water in the morning or a wine tasting in the evening with hors d'oeuvres. Top notch all around. The close proximity to major attractions and museums was a huge plus too. Bottom line we were very impressed and had a wonderful stay. Highly recommend the Donovan House and most certainly will be back when I return to DC.

I stayed for my birthday weekend. From the moment I arrived I was treated like a princess. The valet promptly took my car and check-in was quick and easy. As soon as the staff realized it was my birthday the round of genuine 'happy birthdays' started.

I went up to my beautiful king suite and found the current issue of Vogue as well as a local style mag Capitol File. The room was impeccably clean and well-appointed. The style is modern but still comfortable. About twenty minutes after I arrived there was a knock at the door and Samson the bellman came in with a complimentary bottle of wine, sparkling water, a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and a birthday card signed by various members of the staff. It was so sweet and thoughtful.

That set the tone of the entirety of my stay. Everyone was helpful, friendly, and efficient.

Also the sushi bar at Zentan is fantastic

Stayed March 2013

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Abe L, Manager at The Donovan - A Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review,
March 22, 2013

Hi JelitaJane,

Thank you for review.

First off, Happy Birthday! Thanks for celebrating with us. Seems like you had awesome experiences with our Hotel, but I am most especially pleased with the comments about our team. Hope to have you back soon.

Cheers,Abe

Abe LiaoAssistant General Manager

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Thank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

It had been a while since I last stayed at a Kimpton property so while I was expecting an older hotel and knew about the free "wine hour" I wasn't sure what to expect for this property. The location is actually very good, just being about a 7-10 minute walk from the nearest Metro stop (yes, it's safe at night) and next to a picturesque monument/square across the street.

The check-in staff was friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming (I think his name was Aaron??). This is the way that hotel check-in's should be where they point out where the elevators are and give you other important information. My room faced the back street (not 14th street) and I had a nice view of the monument from the large pane windows but didn't hear too much street noise. The room was 70's funky but in a nice more modern way. The bathroom, while not large was clean and functional----one note, if you're sharing a room with a friend you don't know too well the showers here have an opaque curved wall that faces into the room. You can't see the person but you probably can see the outline/shadow so be aware of this.

The bed was very comfortable and while there was plastic furniture around I didn't feel that it came across as cheap or worn. The mini-bar had a nice array of snacks and wasn't way overpriced like most hotels (at $4 for a small bottle of water it's not cheap either!). I was able to walk around to different sites and neighborhoods both at night and in the day without any difficulty. There are a number of bars down the street (south) of the hotel but most of the restaurants directly nearby seemed as if they catered to the office crowd (breakfast/lunch). I didn't get a chance to try the hotel restaurant but there was a wait most times to get in and most people seemed satisfied when coming out.

All in all, this is a wonderful surprise of a hotel and I would recommend it even though it's not close to the major sites if you are okay with walking (the White House was about a 15-20 min walk away) or taking cabs.

Stayed December 2012, traveled on business

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Ask Manico about The Donovan - A Kimpton Hotel

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Abe L, Manager at The Donovan - A Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review,
March 22, 2013

HI Manico,

Thanks for your review.

I appreciate the detailed comments about your stay. Seems like an awesome experience with our staff and Hotel. Looking forward to your next review!

Cheers,Abe

Abe LiaoAssistant General Manager

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Thank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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Also Known As:

Donovan Hotel a Thompson

Donovan House Washington Dc

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